chili honey sweet potato and quinoa tacos
Weekday tacos? Hell to the yeah, suckers.
If you think vegan recipes are bland and tasteless, I’d counter that by saying you are probably bland and tasteless and, perhaps at no fault of your own, unexposed to seriously good vegan cooking. It amazes me to see how much brands have progressed with the tastes of their animal product-free offerings. I still think vegan cheese is vile, but meat substitutes and condiments have come out of their proverbial shell and slithered their way into my cabinets as regular fixtures. Bravo, vegan brands. Bravo.
If you’re trying out vegan cooking or just seeking a healthy but interesting meal, these Chili Honey Sweet Potato and Quinoa Tacos are your main squeeze. Or should be. They even contain an actual squeeze of lime juice at the end for a little spin of citrus. One pan, strong on the spice with a flick of sweetness from honey, less than an hour start to finish. In fact, I’d claim 45 minutes as the magic number. Time yourself and let me know if I’m right.
Honey Bunches of Yams
Ensure your big cast iron skillet is clean and ready for duty. You’re gonna need it…and nothing else. Seriously. Well, except a cutting board and a knife, but if you don’t have those, what the fuck are you doing with a kitchen in your house?
Slice up the sweet potatoes into 1/2-1 inch cubes. Heat some oil in the skillet, then toss the sweet potatoes into the pan with chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook about 15 minutes. I check my potatoes every 3-5 minutes and give them a poke with a spatula so all sides get nice and toasty.
After 15 minutes the potatoes should be quite tender. Now, swizzle in the honey to coat the potatoes. Take the potatoes out of the pan.
Meat, Meet Quinoa
The quinoa taco “meat” cooks up in the same pan. No need to clean it or anything, so you’re good to proceed.
Drop in a bit more olive oil and saute garlic until nice and aromatic, about 30 seconds or so. Then add in the quinoa and your spices: Worcestershire (or soy sauce, if you’re going full force vegan here), tomato paste, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and a touch of salt and pepper. Toast the quinoa in the spices for a few minutes.
Pour in vegetable broth, or water if you prefer. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes until the quinoa sheds its crunchy attire and most of the water is absorbed. It’s important to mitigate an angry boil, so monitor the heat and keep the bubbling fairly gentle.
Chuck the sweet potatoes back into the pan along with a bit of lime juice. Stir it all up with your best witch’s laugh bellowing out your maw. That is the most important step to this recipe, else it might suck and it 100% will not be my fault.
I topped my tacos off with some fresh avocado, green onions, jalapenos, arugula, and a hit of the spicy cilantro ranch from my Baked Southwest Avocado Egg Rolls. Of course, a vegan version of that ranch would call for vegan yogurt, if you please.
The chewy texture of the quinoa is quite pleasing and mimics a minced meat filling relatively well. The tacos boast plenty of protein, complex carbs, and lots of vitamin A from the sweet potatoes. A truly nourishing treat that tastes gourmet and is because it came from the Foul-Mouth Gourmet. Duh.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More tacos for your tastebuds:
Crispy Curried Chickpea Tacos with Spicy Mango Pineapple Chutney
Hot Honey Lime Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Spicy Fish Tacos with Hatch Chile Salsa Verde
Margarita Fish Tacos with Spicy Chili Mango Salsa
chili honey sweet potato and quinoa tacos
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, diced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or soy sauce for vegan
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 3/4 cup quinoa, dry
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- Spicy Cilantro Ranch (see note), avocado arugula, jalapenos, and green onions, to serve
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium. Toss in the sweet potatoes, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly crisped. Stir in the honey until it coats the sweet potatoes, about another minute. Move to a plate.
- To the same skillet, drizzle in another tablespoon of oil. Saute the garlic for 30-45 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the Worcestershire, tomato paste, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and quinoa. Toast the quinoa for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden.
- Pour in broth or water and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, then uncovered for 5 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is no longer crunchy. Add the sweet potatoes back to the skillet and finish with the lime juice.
- Divide filling among the tortillas. Top with arugula (or choice green), avocado slices, and diced jalapenos and green onions. Spoon ranch over each.
